


The Trouble With Management

by Larry_Klaine_Stylinson



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Angst, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-30
Updated: 2013-01-30
Packaged: 2017-11-27 11:51:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/661685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Larry_Klaine_Stylinson/pseuds/Larry_Klaine_Stylinson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Management  decide to cut back and Louis' food intake, causing problems for the boy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Trouble With Management

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written as a prompt fill on Tumblr.
> 
> Disclaimer: Although I do, in fact, dislike management, I don't personally think they're quite this evil.

It was a day off for the boys, and they were all off doing their own thing. Louis had hoped to spend the day with Harry, but he'd promise Anne he'd spend the day with her, and Louis didn't want to interfere.

So, he was on his own, and had decided to go grab a coffee from Starbucks and then maybe window shop around town for a while. Just as he was pulling out of the lot at Starbucks, his phone began to ring. Recognizing the number as his management, he picked it up with a sigh. What did they want now?

"Hello?"

"Louis, we'd like you to come in for a meeting."

"Sure." Louis said, begrudgingly. "When?"

"As soon as you can, would be best." The man said.

"I'm out right now, so I suppose I can just drop by."

"Wonderful. See you soon."

Louis hung up the phone and began to drive towards his management's office. What had he done that would constitute a meeting? He and Harry had been doing a pretty good job lately keeping their relationship on the down low, and he couldn't remember saying anything overly offensive.

He pulled into the lot, finding an empty space and parking his car with ease. He walked into the building, feeling a bit nervous. He hated meetings with management, especially when the rest of the lads weren't with him.

He walked up the three flights of stairs that led to the floor belonging to his management and knocked on the door.

"Come in!" The man called.

Louis walked into the room, sitting down as he was instructed to do, and waited to find out what sort of trouble he was in this time.

"I'm just going to get right to the point here, Louis." He said. "We've all noticed that you've gained a pound or two recently, and that just won't do for your image. You've always been the thinnest, and it's part of the intrigue."

Louis rolled his eyes. He'd gained maybe a pound and a half in the past month. What was the big deal? How had they even noticed?

"We've decided to put you on a diet, so that you can keep that lovely figure of yours. Sound good?"

"Do I have a choice?" Louis asked, sounding slightly hostile.

"No, I suppose you don't, Mr. Tomlinson."

Ugh. And there they went with the 'Mr. Tomlinson' thing. He was really in trouble now.

"I've had Linda type up a list of what foods you can eat and when, and you are to follow this diet to a T. Do you understand?"

"Sure." Louis said, taking the paper the man was handing to him. He looked it over. "This is hardly enough to feed anyone." Louis said angrily. "How do you expect me to live off this?"

The man simply stood up, taking Louis' large sugary, whipped topping covered coffee and throwing it into the bin. "Certainly none of these. Now off with you."

The man opened the door, and Louis walked out.

He decided not to tell the lads, not wanting them to worry, or make a scene. He would suffer in silence.

000

Three days into his diet, and Louis saw Harry starting to get angry. Louis had had to turn down every meal his lovely Hazza had cooked for him, aside from one night on which he had cooked a nice fish. But other than that, nothing that Harry was making happened to be on Louis' list of approved foods from management.

He was eating maybe half as much per day as he used to, if it was even that, and he found himself feeling constantly hungry. He wondered if Linda had realized, when she made this list, how little she was really allowing him to eat. He had a sinking feeling that she did.

000

A week later and Louis found his legs feeling shaky nearly all the time, and he knew it was from malnutrition. He wanted to go talk to management. Tell someone. Do something. But he didn't want to get into trouble. He was stuck. He didn't know what to do.

He and the boys had an interview that afternoon, so he got up and took a shower. He got dressed and sat down at the breakfast table with Harry.

This diet of his was taking a toll on his relationship as well. Harry was constantly stuck in a state somewhere between angry and worried, and Louis hated seeing him like that. He wanted to tell him what was going on. Reassure him that the way he was acting had nothing to do with Harry. But he couldn't.

He sat there, eating his small bowl of plain oatmeal while Harry ate a rather large plate of pancakes. He sighed, breathing in deeply and inhaling the scent of the delicious smelling food.

How much trouble would he get into if he just ate one pancake? He didn't want to find out.

His stomach was so empty that it hurt, and he couldn't sit there watching Harry eat like that. He sighed, getting up from the table and setting his empty bowl in the sink before walking out into the living room. Harry was avoiding him that day, and Louis knew it was his own fault. So Louis stayed in the living room, managing to find something good on the telly, and Harry stayed in their bedroom.

An hour or so later, a car was there to pick them up and take them to the interview.

They walked out to the car together, finding the other boys already inside. Louis sighed as Harry squeezed his way between Niall and Zayn, forcing Louis to sit across the car, next to Liam. He tried to ignore the pain in his heart as he snuck a glance over at Harry, who was pointedly looking anywhere but at Louis.

He hated this.

000

They arrived at the interview, and Harry made sure he was the first one out of the car, not wanting to spend any time with Louis. He figured maybe he was being immature, but he was the younger one in this situation, and he was pretty sure that gave him the right.

Louis was being ridiculous anyway. He wouldn't eat anything Harry cooked for him, and they were hardly talking anymore.

Harry had no idea what he'd done wrong.

They walked into the building fifteen minutes before the interview started. Just enough time to get their hair fixed up and make sure that any blemishes they had were covered. Harry didn't see why that was so important. Everyone got acne. Why cover it up?

Once they were all camera ready, they stood off to the side, waiting for the interviewer to announce them before they walked on set, all sitting down.

Normally, Harry would have done everything in his power to make sure he and Louis were sitting next to each other. Today, however, he sat at the far end of the row of chairs, and made sure Liam was next to him. Zayn was next to Liam, and Niall was next to Zayn, effectively putting Louis as far away from Harry as possible.

The interview began, and Harry worked his magic by plastering a fake smile on his face and joking around just as he usually did in fun little interviews.

About fifteen minutes in to their forty five minute long time slot on the show, Harry noticed Louis beginning to act strange. He wasn't talking as much, and when he did, he seemed like he wasn't quite all there.

They cut to a commercial, and the interviewer was having a nice little chat with Niall during the break, and that's when Harry heard it. A loud thud, and then a collective gasp from the audience. He turned quickly, seeing Louis lying flat on his face on the ground. He had fallen out of his chair.

Harry had thought he'd done something wrong, and that was why Louis was being so strange lately. But now, now he realized that something was wrong with Louis. Something was very very wrong.

He shot out of his seat, shoving Niall, who had gotten down immediately to see if Louis was alright, out of his way.

"Louis." Harry said, gently tapping Louis' face with his hand, hoping to jolt him awake. "Louis, please wake up."

Harry was working his arms under Louis to pick him up when Zayn stopped him.

"Don't move him, Harry. He might have a concussion."

"He's alright, Zayn. It'll be fine. I've got to get him out of here." Harry said, scooping Louis into his arms and heading out to their car. He just wanted to get his boyfriend home.

"Haz, we've got to take him to the hospital." Liam said.

"I'll call an ambulance." Niall added, trying to be helpful.

"No!" Harry yelled. "No. I just want to take him home. Please."

"Alright, mate." Zayn nodded.

"Let's just get you lads home." Niall agreed.

Liam seemed hesitant, knowing that they really should take Louis to a hospital, but after looking into his younger friend's pleading eyes, he agreed, "Fine. Let's hurry."

They arrived back at the boys' complex, and Harry picked Louis up, bringing him into their flat. The rest of the lads had asked to come along, but Harry had said he really needed to be alone with Louis when he woke up. The boys hadn't understood, but had agreed nonetheless.

Harry laid Louis down on their bed and ran to get a wet cloth to use on his forehead. A few moments later and Louis was opening his eyes weakly.

"Hazza?" He asked, voice scratchy.

"Yeah, Boo Bear, it's me."

"I fainted?" He asked.

"Yeah, Lou, you did. There's something wrong with you, isn't there? Something's not right."

"It's management." Louis said.

"What have they done this time?"

"Just...They said I was gaining weight, and that that was unacceptable. They just cut back my food intake a bit." Louis shrugged.

"How much is a bit?"

Louis reached over, grabbing a list out of his bedside drawer and handing it to Harry.

"Babe, there's hardly anything on here. They've...They've been starving you."

Louis was silent.

"You should've told me. I would've done something. I'm...I'm gonna do something."

Harry left the room, ignoring Louis calling him back, asking him where he was going. He walked into the kitchen, dialing Simon's number and listening as it rang two and a half times before he answered.

"Harry. It's been a while. How are you and the lads?"

"Not good, Uncle Si." Harry said, his voice breaking slightly.

"What's happened?"

"It's management. They've cut back Louis' food intake and...And they're practically starving him, Uncle Simon. He passed out today."

Simon was silent on the other end for a moment, and then his voice came through the phone, furious, "They have no right." Simon muttered. "I'm giving them a call right now, Harry. I'll take care of this."

"Thanks, Uncle Si. Just...Thank you."

"Thank you for telling me, Harry. I'm glad we're taking care of this now."

Harry hung up, then, walking back to his and Louis' room.

"I've just called Uncle Simon, boo. He's taking care of it."

"Thank you, Harry."

"Don't thank me." Harry said. "I'm just glad you're gonna be okay.

Harry sat down on the bed, taking Louis' hand in his.

"Can I have some water, Hazza?" Louis asked.

"Of course, babe."

Harry got up, going out to the kitchen and grabbing Louis a bottle of water, as well as an apple and a couple of biscuits.

"Eat these, Lou." He said, handing him the food he'd brought.

Louis took a bite out of the apple, and then chugged half the bottle of water.

"Harry?" He asked quietly.

"Yeah, boo?"

"I'm not...I'm not getting fat, am I? I mean before the diet."

"Of course not, Lou Bear. Absolutely not." Harry shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe you're even asking that. Fuck, they've gotten in your head."

He wrapped Louis up in his arms, rubbing his hands up and down his boyfriend's back.

"I'll be fine, Hazza. All thanks to you."

"Louis, look at me." Harry said, pulling back and looking his boyfriend directly in the eyes. "I don't want you to ever, ever worry about your weight. Because you're gorgeous. And even if you gained a hundred pounds, you'd still be gorgeous to me. Management are idiots, and I don't want you to ever listen to anything they say. Got it?"

"Got it." Louis nodded.

"I love you, Boo Bear." Harry said, leaning in and kissing his boyfriend lightly on the mouth.

"I love you more."

"Doubt it." Harry said, as he watched Louis eat one of the biscuits he'd brought him.

Everything was going to be alright.


End file.
